The Colon Cancer Alliance is dedicated to increasing awareness of colorectal cancer. This means raising awareness about signs and symptoms, about screening and early detection, and about options available to those already diagnosed with this disease. In an effort to increase the public's awareness of the second leading cause of cancer death among men and women, the US Senate passed a resolution in 1999 making March National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

March 2004 marks the 5th Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. We have made huge strides in the last five years but there is a long way still to go. We need your help. CCA has developed an Awareness Kit to help you bring CCA’s message to your local community.

To learn more about the kit and to find out how you can make a difference in your community, visit CCA’s March 2004 site.

A letter from Survivor's Ethan Zohn who lost his father to colon cancer:

Loss, heartbreak, pain, death. These seemed very remote and distant to the fourteen-year-old boy. These were concepts that he had read about in books, seen in movies, that had happened to a friend of a friend. Suddenly these were no longer concepts. They had changed his life forever.

In the fourteen years since my father died of colorectal cancer I have learned much about life. I have learned to separate the important from the trivial. I have learned what to throw away and what to keep. I can appreciate the precious nature of time and the passion that any part of a minute can bring.

I would like to spend a few minutes with my father. In a few minutes, fortunes are made and lost, the ailing may be cured and the healthy become ill. For me, a few minutes is enough to reflect upon a lifetime.

A few minutes with my father is time for a story and a tuck into bed; it is playing along with a television game show; it is an early morning ride to school or a jog together on a Saturday. A quick hug is the smell of printing ink on my dad's suit, the touch of his raspy beard against my cheek, the softness of his belly and the strength of his arms enveloping me. It is my apology offered for something I did wrong and the glue needed to fix it. These remain as un-faded images of our bright brief time together.

I can still feel my dad standing on the sidelines of my soccer game and see his face when I make a great play. I can hear him shout words of encouragement when the ball is just out of my reach. In quiet moments, his cheering echoes throughout my mind. I am able to take risks and make commitments in the future, partly because of his unflagging belief in me.

When his body became frail, he was not too proud to ask me for help and allow me the chance to give back with a full heart. This time it was my arms that enveloped him and my hugs that desperately tried to fix what was wrong.

As I look back upon these precious moments, I have learned that to make happiness real for others is the greatest gift. It provides the foundation for celebration of life. My dad taught me this. I honor him by living each day fully and joyously, striving for hard to reach goals. I treasure this legacy.

If my dad knew about Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, I probably would not be writing this. Celebrate today, celebrate this month, celebrate YOUR life…get screened for colorectal cancer.

Ethan Zohn is currently participating in Survivor All-Star and founder of Grassroots Soccer which he started with the money he won in Survivor Africa. The aim of Grassroot Soccer is to reduce the spread of HIV & AIDS by training well known soccer players to educate at-risk youth about the dangers of HIV infection and about the most effective ways to protect themselves. For more information, go to http://www.grassrootsoccer.org